KSA quarry output to top 327m tonnes
Construction requirements sees quarry output soar
The total output of quarries in Saudi Arabia will reach 327 million tonnes in 2014, according to an estimate published in Saudi Gazette. The report also states that all 327m tonnes of quarry products will be used in the domestic market for construction projects and other uses.
By contrast, the UAE is estimated to have produced 201 million tonnes of quarry products in 2014, while only 95m tonnes were used for domestic projects, the remainder exported, a 106 million tonne surplus.
Qatar produced 58 million tonnes, while it used 98 m tonnes for local projects, importing the remainder. Oman produced 42m tonnes, but used only 35Mt, while Kuwait used 11Mt, with zero production, and Bahrain consumed 8Mt, producing only 2Mt.
According to the report, Saudi Arabia will require large-scale import agreements in order to meet the demands of their domestic construction projects, and will look to the UAE to secure new import agreements.
The UAE is expected to further grow its 106 million tonne surplus, as demand continues to grow in the GCC countries. The UAE also exports its quarry products further afield, including high-quality limestone sent to India to be used in the iron-ore processing industries.
The UAE is the world’s third largest exporter of quarry products, and is expected to add approximately 20 million tonnes annually from 2015 to 2019 to its export tally.
Much of the growth in the UAE’s quarry output is expected to occur in Fujairah. Strategically positioned to supply the GCC countries, Fujairah’s quarry products industry is expected to grow in terms of production volumes in-line with the expanding demands of the region, from the current 100 million tons in 2015 to 145 million tons by 2019.
Currently the largest importers of Fujairah’s vast quarry natural resources are Qatar and Kuwait.
